


The Reed

by Solariel



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Cell is a dick, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 13:01:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solariel/pseuds/Solariel
Summary: Training some human wasn’t the first -or lets face it, last- thing that Cell wanted to do straight out of hell but there might be more entertainment in it than he’d anticipated.





	The Reed

_The darkness is all-consuming, all crushing and the air is thin. It suffocates him- he can’t breathe, he can’t think, he can’t rest._

_Cell lays against the damp floor of some…cave? Forest? Jungle? He doesn’t know anymore- the landscape shifts constantly. One moment he’s on a plateau, expansive and red like blood with sand that cuts his skin like blades and the next it’s an endless pool of water, deep and dark, pulling him under with unseen force._

_There’s no use in gathering power here, his body is numb beyond the most basic of commands. Move, breathe…crawl._

_There’s not a single moment of rest and in the darkness beyond he can feel the ever-shifting growls and clacking teeth of the things that reside there with him. Sometimes they come close and he feels their razor sharp maws tear off his carapace, sinking their endless teeth into the soft undersides of his armor. Sometimes they take their time, eating piece after piece of him until there’s nothing left- only to start again._

_Other times they only tease at his torture, coming close and retreating at the peak of his fear._

_But they are there, always._

_The worst is hearing voices- Goku. Gohan. Those wretches! There’s never a moment’s rest from their taunts. How much of it is his own imagination, Cell doesn’t know. Sometimes they sound so real..like they’re actually there with him but when he calls out there’s only silence._

_How long has he been here? There’s no use counting the hours or days. It could have been decades or centuries for all he knows. He’ll be here until the universe ends-_

_“Cell?”_

_A voice. Not Goku’s. Not Gohan’s.  It’s softer. A woman? No one he’s ever heard before. He watches in awe as that voice clears the sky and the suffocating darkness. Suddenly the pressure on his chest lessenes._

_He takes a gasping breath for the first time in what seems like centuries._

_This could all be a figment of Hell’s imagination- Cell’s mind tells him. Hell is vicious like that- cunning and fickle- always finding new methods of torment. Despair closed in and he shut his eyes against it._

_“Cell?” The voice comes again, feminine and small. There’s a shifting motion beside him and he tears his eyes open to see a woman’s face. Someone he’s never seen before. She’s human, with comically blue eyes and a mess of bright salmon-colored hair. She looks ridiculous._

_He says nothing, body tensing. He doesn’t know what kind of cruel trick this is but…there’s a traitorous spark of hope in his chest.  
_

_“Who-?” His voice is reed-thin from days (Years? Millennia?) of misuse and he coughs with the effort of it._

_“I’m Solira. I’ve come to make you an offer.” She’s only a foot or two away, he can feel her heat. Real heat, warmth in hell?_

_This is real- his traitorous mind tells him. Believe her. The desire to respond is all-consuming._

_If this is another trick, it’s the cruelest one Hell has played. Cell takes another ragged breath and hated how desperate he is for her to continue speaking._

_‘W-what?” He croaks._

_“I can get you out of here, if you agree to be-“ She doesn’t even finish speaking before Cell interrupted her,_

_“Yes.” He doesn’t need to hear the rest._

_“Yes?” She counters, confused, “You haven’t heard what the terms are-“  
_

_There’s a gasp as he grabs her ankle, the movement swift if weak, bolstered by the thought of leaving this nightmare._

_**“Get. Me. Out.”** He will pay any price._

* * *

The price, it seemed, was to train some little insignificant speck of a human in exchange for his life.

The idea was ludicrous. Of course he’d said so much to the little pink child that ran Time Patrol. But then again it got him out of Hell, so teaching some human upstart seemed a small price to pay to be alive again. Still, Cell scowled at the memory.

Then he’d been left in the girl’s ‘care’ after swearing through gritted teeth that he’d… _behave_ himself.  One small slip in his behavior or a fatal “accident” to Solira would send him right back.

That entire conversation with the Kais had been two months ago but it still made him furious.

But after the fury came an interesting kind of resignation. Now he’d gotten…somewhat used to life in this stupid rock of a city.

Cell had chosen the northernmost bluffs of Conton City as his ‘residence’. His presence (it had been good to know that even after death, his reputation preceded him), as well as the difficulty of reaching the peaks kept visitors at bay and made sure that he had peace and quiet.

Too bad he was thoroughly bored of _peace_ and _quiet_. There was an itch to just kill everything in sight but the terms of his release dictated that he was here only at the whims of the Kais. He had no intention of returning back to that pit he’d been in for so long.

With a long suffering exhale, Cell put aside the memory and tried to focus on the silver lining. He was _alive_ and somewhere out there, Goku and his wretched spawn were living their stupid little lives. 

It was only a matter of time before he was free-the kais would slip sometime- they had to.

Then he would head to Earth and unleash a wrath like no other. _Nothing_ would be left of Goku and his little gang. He would _personally_ break every single bone in Gohan’s body before tearing off him limbs and leaving him to die in the burning crater of his house. 

Maybe he’d even go through the timelines here, kill every version of Goku and Gohan that ever lived. What a thought.

It was the only way he could avenge the blistering humiliation that haunted him every single waking moment.The fantasy was an entertaining one and it amused him a little before he grew bored of it. Unfortunately, simply imagining someone dying over and over was pale comparison to the real thing.

He stood in the silence, glaring at nothing in particular.

Birds chirped in the distance.

A small pebble shifted off the edge of the cliff and plummeted down, click-clacking each rock as it fell.

The sun beat down on him, warming his carapace.

Cell felt a nerve start twitching in his neck and the muscles under his wings convulsed in annoyance.

Cell glared at the communicator Solira had given him. It was silent and would until she contacted him first.

He was irritated.

No. He was more than irritated. Where the hell was she?! Didn’t she know it was rude to leave a guest without entertainment?!

_Only a few days, Cell. I’ll be right back, Cell._ A nasal mockery of her voice in his head as she’d left for a mission that was supposed to have only lasted two days.

His internal clock -primed to Earth time- told Cell that it had been a week. A whole seven Earth days since she’d left on her job and he hadn’t felt or seen or heard a thing from her in that entire time. She’d stepped into the time nest and as per usual, her ki had just simply vanished.

As much as he hated the city for keeping him prisoner, the almost quaint rhythm he’d established with Solira kept him from going insane.

She’d go out on patrol, come back and take a small break before reporting to Cell. Solira would describe the fight and list out all the mistakes she’d made- including external factors such as not being strong or fast enough. Cell would then devise some game-plan to help bridge those weaknesses.

They fell into a routine.

That annoyed him. The thought of being domesticated like some house pet made his wings snap and more than a few times, he thought about _really_ seeing whether those terms he’d been threatened with were real or not.

But…instead of the monotony he’d been expecting, he found that he enjoyed the process of teaching. Something about breaking down the process of fighting brought…contentment. Something about Piccolo’s cells probably.

And of course, it was something to occupy himself with on this stupid piece of floating rock.

 This was the first time the girl had been gone that long and he banished the idea that she might have died. If anything fatal happened to Solira, he’d be in Hell right now. 

So now it had been seven whole days without anything to do. 

The first few days were alright enough and he’d trawled through the city, amused at watching denizens scatter before him in fear. But fear needed to be maintained with action so that got old very quickly and he left before anyone could realize that he couldn’t blast them into oblivion.

Last thing he needed was people feeling _safe_ around him.

The rest of the days had passed with sleep, or his attempts at it anyways. Time didn’t pass at a natural rate on this decrepit rock and the intense sunlight stretched for far longer than he was used to. Not only did the irregular night-cycle make it difficult to tell how much time had passed but it was annoying as shit.

It didn’t help that whatever small bursts of rest he’d had were interrupted by the lingering memories of his time in Hell. Cell would close his eyes only to see the edges of sharp teeth and the phantom pain of tearing skin. Every time he awoke, it was with shivering breath and slightly trembling hands. In any case, he’d taken to meditating- Piccolo’s cells helped him find some measure of relief in the passing hours.

But not enough to stave the mind-boggling boredom.

Cell stared in the general direction of the city with a scowl that could have incinerated it with animosity alone.

He could- _no_.

But maybe- _no._ What if… _no._

Damn it.

Annoyed, Cell closed his eyes and focused his senses inward. He fell into deep meditation.  He felt the air shift around him as Conton City slowly slipped into dusk. Suddenly, there was a tingle in the back of his mind as her familiar energy flashed into existence.

Cell immediately locked onto it, snapping out of his trance with borderline excitement. Finally.

There was another familiar energy beside her.Trunks was there with her, his ki as familiar to him as was hers at this point. He rolled his eyes at the thought of the brat.

Cell crossed his arms, determined to wait her out. He closed his eyes again, using only his senses to feel her out.

It didn’t take long before he felt Solira land before him, her energy rustling the grass around him. “Hello, Cell. How are you?”

He scowled. “Just _peachy_. How about an apology?” He made sure to pour every ounce of sarcasm he had into that first sentence.

She sounded confused. "For what?”

“Seven days.” Cell gritted. “You’ve been gone for seven days and expected me to do what, just sit here?”

“I’m very sorry. The mission ran longer than I thought.” Her genial response only served to annoy him more.

Cell opened his eyes and immediately regretted it.

“Don’t you own anything that isn’t pink?” Particularly that horrific, eye-burning shade of neon that seemed to span the entirety of her closet. He had a hard time believe that any respectable shop would even _sell_ such a hideous jacket/pant combo.

Solira raised an eyebrow and pointedly looked him over. “Should you really be commenting, Mr. Monochrome?” Her clothing had tears from battle, but she looked fine. Someone probably had healed her.

She had a basket with her. Food probably. His suspicions were confirmed when she sat down beside him, pulling out a sandwich.

He puffed a little, displaying his chest with obvious pride. “My colors are an art, girl. Not that I expect someone with your lack of color sense to understand taste.” He could provide her with the exact shade that graced every part of his body.

Another pass and she pulled out a water bottle and offered it to him.

Cell took the water and uncapped it. He was thirstier than he’d thought. How long had he been standing here, motionless under the sun?

She laughed, “Yes. taste. Exactly the first thing that comes to mind when I think about you.”

“Oh?” He smirked at her, “Is that so?” He let a smug chuckle worm its way into the sentence and he leered over her. “Think of me often?”

“Maybe.” She chuckled, clearly in good spirits if she was responding to his banter.

Half a month ago he’d had a special session where he’d tried to goad her into responding to his trash talk. It…it was an ongoing lesson.

But as for now, he could guess the reason for her good mood.

“The mission went well.” He wasn’t surprised when she bowed her head low and deep. Something she’d done every time they’d met, her long, pink hair brushing the ground.

He finished the bottle in one swig, tossing the plastic over the edge. He shot Solira a look, daring her to say something. But she hadn’t noticed.

“Thank you.” Her politeness was still cute, even after two months. His wings flicked in amusement at the formality. “Your training really made the difference in the last battle.”

Cell puffed up a little. Of course she did well, after all, he was her teacher. But he would give credit where credit was due. “You’re a diligent student and you pick up things quickly.” Her mind was something else, even if her physical abilities had yet to catch up. “You’re still weak…but you might be able to reach some measure of considerably strength yet.”

It also meant that their sessions were never boring. Which was good for her. And for the rest of the city.

“It’s because you’ve taught me so well.” She smiled at him, her blue eyes narrowing with pleasure.

The muscles under his wings spasmed at the compliment. He really was a sucker for flattery. “I don’t remember you mentioning having to partner with Trunks?” Cell would have to make sure she didn’t pick up any bad habits from Vegeta’s brat. Like that horrible sense of idealism. 

Though with her  taste in coloring…maybe it was already too late on certain fronts.

“Not partnering. I had to step in to back him up.”

Backup? Cell grinned at the thought of his student having to save Vegeta’s boy. That was amusing. Oh he hoped the prince got wind of that.

She brought up her interface and went through her inventory, producing a crystal ball the size of a Namekian Dragon ball. “Here. As thanks for all your time, I got you something.” She offered it to him.

Oh. A present? What was it? “And…I’m supposed to do what with it?” He hefted it from hand to hand and let his telepathy bring it into the air. “I can stare into nothingness here, right on my own, without any help.”

“It’s linked to my communicator and when I’m out on a mission, you can watch what’s happening. I hoped it would alleviate some of your boredom.”

A prudent gift considering how long she’d been gone this time.

He was quiet for a long moment and Solira deflated a little under the silence. “If that was too presumptuous of me-”

“Not at all.” Cell stared at the orb again. “Actually it’s a perfect gift, thank you.” He fixed her with a dark grin, “Though you might regret bringing me this, in time.”

“Why?”

“Because-” he leaned down, coming close enough to see her eyes widen in trepidation “If I see you getting sloppy out there, I’ll make sure to make our sessions _twice_ as intense.” He stayed there for a beat too long, letting his closeness make things deliberately awkward.

Hm, he could smell her strongly from that distance. She was the type to use a fruity shampoo, wasn’t she?

She leaned back after a moment, unable to take the intensity. “I’ll…try not to disappoint you sir.”

“See that you don’t. I can’t have my pupil being pushed around on a mission. It’ll make me look bad.” That would be unacceptable. He stood back up to his full height.

“Well, your work has been received very well so far.” Solira continued, “In fact, they’re thinking of allowing other patrollers to request their own teachers.”

Oh? “Like who?” He certainly didn’t want to take on another student and besides, no one here in this stupid little city was even remotely worth his time. His current pupil notwithstanding. But she was a special case.

Mostly because he had no choice.

“Maybe Vegeta, the Ginyu Force…there are even rumors about bringing in Frieza.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

Typical. “Well if you can’t have the best-” he was referring to himself of course, “-then you might as well go for second.” Speaking of second place- “Goku?”

“Maybe. I don’t know too much but they’re in the process of talking to Yamcha, Tien and some of the others from different timelines. I think Raditz and Nappa are being considered as well right now.”

“Really? They can’t even go for the B-team? They’ve stooped to the _bargain bin_?” What a pathetic lot to bring about. It seems that the Kais didn’t care about the quality of the mentoring their students got. Well, since he was taken…it was all downhill from there.

Speaking of mentoring…

“Get up. We’re training. I’ve been standing here doing nothing for seven days.” His patience had officially ended.

"Can I finish eating?”

With a kick, he sent the basket flying over the edge. “There. You’re done. Let’s go.”

“Hey!” Solira fell back, staring at his leg, only inches away from her face. She stood after the initial shock was over and dusted the dirt off her watermelon-pink pants. “You’re very belligerent today.”

“You haven’t _seen_ belligerent, girl. Belligerent is what I’ll be if we don’t get moving.” He motioned to her, “Hurry up.” He’d been itching to get some blood flowing the moment Cell felt her show up.

“I was thinking we could go on a Parallel mission instead.”

He rolled his eyes. “You can go on those insipid-wait, **_we?_** _”_ Cell felt his entire face breaking into a grin. This time his wings twitched hard enough to knock against his carapace. “Is this another present?”

“It was also something I asked from the Supreme Kai.” Solira looked over the edge, trying to find where her basket went and sighed when she couldn’t spot it.

“Made a case, did you?” She was good at those, convincing people to do things for her. The pink imp had told him she’d been the one to initially convince the kais to bring him back.

She nodded, “I argued that you’d be able to teach me better if you could actually see me on the field. There was a bit of back and forth, but I was able to get them to agree. I think the progress I’ve made helped seal the deal.”

Cell laughed, felt his chest contract with amusement.

“Oh.” She looked at his darkly amused expression with a fair amount of suspicion. “Is this going to be something else I’m going to regret?”

Ah, she’d come to know him a little better. “Not at all.” He purred, coming to stand before her, placing both hands on her shoulders. “In fact. I’d be delighted to see how my star pupil is in the field.”

“I’m your only pupil.” She replied, her height making it so that she didn’t have to crane her neck too far back to look at him.

‘“Doesn’t change the fact.” Cell responded. “Now tell me, do our… _terms_ hold for these Parallel missions?” Oh he’d itched to fight at full power, even against a weaker enemy. Solira was too fragile to fight at even half his power, though she’d been better by miles since their first session.

“Depends on the mission we tak-” She started.

“Then you’d better take the right one, shouldn’t you now?” He interrupted and let his sharp canines glint, feeling the stirrings of battle-lust starting in the pit of his stomach. He tightened his grip on her shoulders to drive the point, enjoying her small wince.

“It’ll take a little while to complete registration for a mission.” She looked a little worried and it only served to get him even more excited.

Ah, bureaucracy. 

Cell gestured around him, indicating the empty field. “I’m not going anywhere. Now go, be a good girl and accept something fun for papa Cell.” He let go and watched her nod.

But she didn’t protest his command and gave him a small wave and another bow before disappearing into the sky with her usual loop-de-loops.

Cell watched her barrel roll through the air with a fair amount of amusement. Oh now this was going to be _fun.  
_

_**Finally.** _


End file.
